Business Model Shift

Games as Service (GaaS) describes ongoing content/monetization model vs. traditional one-time purchase. Publishers embraced live service (2015+) chasing recurring revenue, often at player experience’s expense.

Examples: Destiny, Anthem, Avengers, Fallout 76, Overwatch 2

Model: Base game (often F2P) + seasons + battle passes + microtransactions + limited-time events

Publisher motivation: Predictable revenue, whale monetization, engagement metrics

Player fatigue: FOMO, grinding, treating games as jobs

Failures: Anthem, Avengers, Babylon’s Fall shut down after millions invested

Successes: Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2 sustained

Critique: Focus on engagement over quality; incomplete launches (“we’ll fix it later”); manipulative monetization

GaaS represents gaming’s financialization - games designed for retention/spending rather than completed experiences.

Sources:
https://www.polygon.com/
https://www.eurogamer.net/